Hello and Goodbye
by JuniperMoons
Summary: Sasuke and Sakura in a different world. It follows their story from high school but it doesn't stay there. A horrible incident reunites the two souls, but not as they'd wanted it to be. Some things just cannot be forgotten. (A modern Sasusaku) **Will only be a few chapters long.
1. Chapter 1

No.1

"A time before the flower bloomed."

The humidity drenched us both in sweat. Raining on a summer afternoon will do that to your body. I didn't mind the humidity though; I was too distracted for it to annoy me, anyway. Sasuke seemed to mind it though, with that scowl he likes to wear so much. He was sitting on one of the mattresses students use for high jumping. The sport was a recent addition to the school so only a few mattresses had been bought. We were carrying them all to the school's gym storage when the downpour came down. The place is so far away from the main school building we'd have catch a cold if we ran all the way there.

"We're skipping class."

I say to ease the tension. We were both alone in a, basically, large box. There was only the door in the front and a small window in the back, too high for any of us to reach. The walls were a bit moldy, gray painted cement.

"We could get in trouble."

No response. Damn this is irritating me. I can't seem to crack the shell, why am I so awkward?

"Worst things could happen." He says plainly.

My heart jumps to my throat and springs out of my chest. I was not expecting a single word from him. What made him talk? Now it'll be impossible for me to communicate, I'm way too nervous. My ears feel really hot; I hope my blushing isn't obvious. That would be the death of me.

"Sakura?"

I'm over. I have ascended to the heavens; my life is complete. Hearing him say my name gave me goosebumps and a fickle warmness in my belly. I tried to be calm and answer as nonchalantly as I can.

"Yes?"

"The front of your shirt is unbuttoned."

First all I could hear was a buzz. After that I was so flustered I couldn't think straight anymore. I hurried and fixed that horrible accident and settled as far away from his as possible. But then the most wonderful thing happened. He laughed, only for a second, but he was smiling. I was dazed and there was only one thing I was thinking of.

"I love you." I say looking at his eyes. He flinched, not expecting what I just said.

I thought I'd be terrified of this moment, no, I didn't think this moment would even happen. I was so proud of myself I felt elated. Somehow I couldn't imagine a better moment than this. If he rejects me, I'll move on and finally find my path in life.

"I'm leaving the country when we graduate."

Suddenly my wings began to falter.

"I'll be gone for years; I won't know when I'll come back."

I walked over to his side and sat down beside him, taking his hand in mine.

"It's useless for you to love me. We'll never see each other after graduation."

My heart sank at the end of his words. I felt like a boulder sinking deeper and deeper into the depths of the ocean. Water lines decorated my cheeks and a few drops of tears dissolved on my shirt.

"Don't say it'll be useless, please." I say with a huge lump in my throat. It was hard holding it in, but I didn't let myself cry my heart out. Not here.

"Can you kiss me? I promise I won't bother you ever again. Just please let me have this memory."

Sasuke looked my crying, ugly, face with an apathetic expression. He caressed my cheeks with both hands and wiped away my tears. I looked into his eyes but I found no warmth in them. I immediately regretted it. I didn't know if this was what I wanted. I did want him to kiss me, but out of love. I suppose I couldn't ask him to love me, I could, but it's not like he would just instantly love me. Yes, I actually don't care. The warm feeling I had in my stomach before grew, and all I wanted anymore was his touch.

He pulled me closer to his face and pressed his lips against mine. Everything seized to exist in that one moment. My entire body screamed for more and when I opened my eyes, Sasuke was saying the same thing. I doubt it's out of love, but I've forgotten all about it already. I took a leap of faith and kissed him again in the same way he kissed me. I didn't know anything about kissing, I hadn't thought about it until we were stuck in the storage room.

He kissed me back with a slightly parted mouth, sucking my lips for a split second. I jerked back, startled.

"You were being greedy." He said.

I blushed intensely and a strange hot sensation started to boil below my stomach. I was a little scared of continuing but I was even more scared of regretting it later if I didn't do it. Sasuke sighed and sat up on the mattress. He was sitting crossed legs and staring at me. I had an insane urge to sit on his lap, and without thinking I did as my body commanded. Sasuke furrowed his brows but before he could protest I kissed his mouth shut. I wrapped my arms around his neck and just when I was about to give up he kissed me back. This time he licked my lips with his tongue and I felt my whole body electrify. He closed his arms around my back, holding me tightly against his body. We were both sweating from the humidity and the temperature was as hot as it always was in summer, but I found no warmth behind his actions.

The rain kept pouring down long after the last two classes ended. It was exactly at 4:11pm that the day finally cleared out. We stayed silent for a few minutes after we were free. I ignored what my brain was telling before me and let my body join with his. At first, all I wanted was to confess, but then after I confessed I wanted more. I wanted to touch him, to kiss him. Everything developed from there and it ended in something deeper than what I expected. At least for me it was. I won't regret what we did, though what will always dishearten me is that he didn't have any affection for me whilst doing it.

After we graduate I won't ever see him again, according to what he told me. It's alright in some ways. That just means I'll be able to concentrate on becoming a doctor. I'll study hard and maybe one day I'll be a professional. That day may have left a bittersweet memory that I won't ever forget, but I'll treasure it. On the day of our graduation I'll draw an infinite sign on one of the walls. Sasuke will forget in the future, I will probably forget too, but this place won't. This memory of a long hello and goodbye will forever stay etched on the walls. Until graduation, heartbreak.

 _To be continued…_


	2. Chapter 2

No. 2

"Tainted Red"

I took the glass of wine without thinking and a little of the liquid toppled over onto my white cotton. I cursed. A huge red stain dominated the lower part of the dress, making it seem as if my period had trespassed my underwear.

"It's a new dress." -I said, defeated by fate.

"Well, aren't _you_ in the best of moods tonight?" -Ino snickered beside me, tossing a strand of her long blonde hair to her back. We were sitting on a two-person sofa in her new apartment.; the only furniture in the place, unfortunately. It's a surprise she's not the one who's moody considering she's been sleeping on a sofa for the past week. Maybe if she hadn't bought such an expensive one, there would have been enough money left to buy a cheap bead. Though maybe an expensive sofa is better than a cheap bed.

"It's been a week since we graduated from university, lighten up!" -She took the wine bottle from the floor and poured more of the red liquid in my glass.

"Of course I'm happy that we're finally out but I'm still worried about the whole job hunting thing. I haven't been able to get my RN license yet."

"What's the 'RN'?" -Ino says, already drifting off into a drunken state.

"RN means 'Registered Nurse'. Without that I won't be able to work where I really want to."

Ino stares at me for a moment. Her bright blue colored eyes shine dimly, following the trail of my collar bone. I give her a confused glare until she finally snaps out of her trance.

"You've been fucked before." -She says plainly.

I freeze but only for a split second. She's drunk, she doesn't know what she's saying, and I don't owe her anything. At least, I'm not obliged to tell her about my first time anyway. It would be easy to tell her, though. If I could tell her, I'd say it wasn't anything special. It wasn't even something I could cherish later on in life, but I can't seem to regret it either. To have some part of Sas… of _him_ , still with me would have been wonderful. But I can't seem to find a single trace of him. It was just a moment that happened long ago, maybe if I could remember how I felt when I did it, but I just can't. Only the absolute, non-existence warmth in his touch still remains in the deepest parts of my mind.

"I'm leaving, it's late, and you're drunk." -I stand up straight and head to the entrance to get my shoes. Ino tries to grab my legs but she's too slow and instead falls hard on the floor. She moans in pain but falls dead asleep a second later.

"At least sober up enough to fall asleep on the sofa." -I lift her up onto the sofa and cover her with the blanket that was tucked under the cushions. I sighed in relief at the release of her weight, and hurried out of the apartment locking the door behind me.

I swear she's in love with being drunk. I better call for a cab-

"And I forgot my phone." -I sighed.

I ran back to Ino's apartment but stopped in my tracks when I saw the front door wide open.

"That's strange." I thought I locked the door after I left, don't tell me she went out drunk.

I jog up the stairs that lead to her apartment and quietly enter her home. I had just closed the door behind me when suddenly the sickening smell of fresh blood filled my nostrils.

"Ino!" I screamed at the sight of her crawled on the floor bleeding profusely from her stomach.

"Sa…kura." -She barely manages to say.

She was pale, her eyes were sunken and losing a lot of blood. I took my shoes off and ran towards her, kneeling down to examine the wound. There was a gash the size of a kitchen knife across her belly, spouting blood onto the floor. There was already a pool of it surrounding her body.

"Don't worry, I can help you while the ambulance arrives." -I say as I grab Ino's phone from the sofa. She chuckles weakly and mumbles: _thank god_.

I dialed the emergency number and spoke to the person on the other line. I had just finished talking to the person when I heard Ino spout a bit of blood from her mouth.

My heart nearly stopped for good. Internal bleeding…? I abruptly pushed the thought out of my mind. I breathed in and gently placed her head on my lap. Taking the blanket from the couch, I wrapped it as tightly as I could to stop the bleeding, making sure it wasn't too tight as to stop the blood inside her from circulating. I stroked her forehead, cleaning the sweat from her brow.

"It's alright Ino, I'm a nurse remember…?"

She looked up at the mention of my name and simply said "RN".

"Right." -I said with a few tears trailing my cheeks.

The cold temperature of the emergency waiting room made it difficult for me to stay awake. I bought a jacket from one of the little shops the hospital has but it didn't make a difference. It was cheap cloth, not made for its own singular purpose. I sat back on one of the empty chairs for the one hundredth time and cupped my face with my hands.

"Sakura Haruno, is it?"

An unfamiliar voice speaks above me. I look up and see a white haired man with a small note pad in his hands. I nod and he smiles at my response.

"I have news about your friend Ino. But first, are you sure she doesn't have any family members?"

"Well I'm not her sister by blood but everything else counts."

The doctor chuckles and nods.

"She's in a temporary coma from the shock and stress. She'll be alright in a few days. If she has insurance…"

"Shit." -I cursed.

"Pardon?" -The doctor stares in shock.

"I'm sorry, can we discuss this at a later date?" -I try to sound as curtsy as I can.

"The financial help department is in the first floor if you have trouble with paying."

I can call Ino's mother, though she's half a world away, to pay for the room and treatment. I'll pay for the investigation if I have to.

I sigh.

I reach into my red leather purse to search for my phone. The small pouches hidden inside seem empty and only at the bottom of the purse do I find the phone. I pull it out and to my surprise it's actually Ino's phone.

"Don't tell me I left my phone in her apartment again, ughh…" -I mumble.

I tap the screen of her phone, feeling the cold metal of its case on my fingers. A photo of her with a black haired man appears. I lean back on one of the square columns inside the waiting room, my dress tightening around my waist at the strain. I look around the room, expecting Ino to appear in front of me and explain who he is, but I instantly remembered that won't happen anytime soon. I bite my lip in frustration. If only I hadn't left her like that, if only I could've done something to prevent that. _Wait._

What exactly happened?

My eyes slowly trail back to the man on the screen. Who is he? Ino has never talked to me about him before, and they seem pretty close hugging each other like that. Why wouldn't she tell me anything about him? It's not like he's a family member, Ino only has her mom. Or does she? I should take this to the police. If he had anything to do with this, they'll know.

I gripped the phone, releasing my anger on the contraption. I will do everything in my power to find that man, and if he knows anything about this incident, I'll _carve_ It out of him myself. The police will be the least of his worries.

 _To be continued…_


End file.
